Timeline of turmoil: How Virginia’s ongoing political scandals developed

RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - It’s been a tumultuous couple of months for Virginia with the commonwealth’s top three officials embroiled each embroiled in separate scandals.

Here is a minute-by-minute timeline of the political controversies that have put the commonwealth in the national spotlight.

Wednesday, Jan. 30

Gov. Ralph Northam defends proposed bill loosening restrictions on abortion in an interview with WTOP and says, “It’s done in cases where there may be severe deformities, there may be a fetus that’s non-viable. So in this particular example, if a mother is in labor, I can tell you exactly what would happen. The infant would be delivered. The infant would be kept comfortable. The infant would be resuscitated if that’s what the mother and the family desired, and then a discussion would ensue between the physicians and the mother.”

Friday, Feb. 1

5:15 p.m. – Republican General Assembly leaders call on Northam to provide an “immediate explanation.” Over the next hour, the call is echoed by other political leaders.

~ 6 p.m. – A photo from a 1981 VMI yearbook with Northam’s nickname listed as “Coonman” begins to circulate on social media.

6:12 p.m. – Northam releases a statement calling the photo “clearly racist and offensive” and says he is “deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo.”

7:17 p.m. – NAACP President Derrick Johnson calls for Northam to resign. Prominent politicians throughout the state and nation begin to issue statements calling on Northam’s resignation.

Black face in any manner is always racist and never okay. No matter the party affiliation, we can not stand for such behavior, which is why the @NAACP is calling for the resignation of Virginia Governor @RalphNortham

Thursday, Feb. 7

2:45 p.m. – Virginia Sen. Majority Leader Tommy Norment, a Republican, releases statement regarding being editor of the 1968 Virginia Military Institute yearbook that included pictures of blackface. Norment calls blackface “abhorrent.” “As one of seven working on a 259-page yearbook, I cannot endorse or associate myself with every photo,” and says he is not in nor did he take the photos appearing in the yearbook.

4:31 p.m. – Cox statement says it is, “unfair to compare assisting in the production of a yearbook to the other revelations this week.”

8:17 p.m. – Democrats representing Virginia in Congress release joint statement saying they are “brokenhearted” over the Northam and Herring revelations and reiterate their individual calls for Northam to resign. The statement says Herring must “stand ready to answer to answer questions from the public if he is to regain their trust.” It also says the allegation against Fairfax should be taken seriously and will be evaluated.

Friday, Feb. 8

Time unknown – Northam tells top staff he will not resign. In related email to state employees, Northam says, “You have placed your trust in me to lead Virginia forward and I plan to do that.”

1:57 p.m. – National Black Farmers Association president John Boyd Jr tweets that he met with Northam and pledged his support that the governor not resign.

~ Noon – Black leaders gather at Virginia State Capitol. Calls for his resignation are repeated, but leaders say they believe his apology is sincere but say there are different standards for which the man and the officer of governor should be evaluated.

4:10 p.m. – Fairfax spokesperson confirms two of his staffers and two staffers at a PAC that supports him resigned over the sexual assault allegations against him.

6:33 p.m. – VUU announces Northam will speak Feb. 21 at a Faith, Community and Racial Reconciliation rally in what the university describes as the part of his “apology tour.”

Tuesday, Feb. 12

10:33 a.m. – Northam spokesperson says Black History Month reception previously scheduled for Feb. 13 has been rescheduled for later in the month.

8:30 p.m. – Tyson speaks at #MeToo panel event at Stanford, but does not discuss her accusation towards Fairfax.

Wednesday, Feb. 13

Monday, Feb. 18

12:20 p.m. - California man charged with pouring red dye into fountain at Capitol Square and a woman was issued a citation banning her from Capitol Square for six months. A Florida woman was charged with indecent exposure in unrelated incident.

4:33 p.m. - Washing Post publishes an op-ed from Watson saying she will testify publicly about her allegation against Fairfax and says he should do the same.

Thursday, Feb. 21

Saturday, Feb. 23

Sunday, Feb. 24

As the General Assembly session came to a close, Fairfax delivered a speech and once again denied the allegations and said the truth is on his side. He mentioned legislation that the General Assembly passed expressing “profound regret” for lynchings in Virginia between 1877 and 1950. Fairfax said his opponents were “willing to do the same thing.”

Wednesday, Feb. 27

An eighth-grade Senate Page writes a letter to first lady Pamela Northam telling her it was “beyond inappropriate” to hand out cotton during a tour of the Executive Mansion.